


The Woman Born Khajiit

by Emperor_Khan



Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-09
Updated: 2017-12-09
Packaged: 2019-02-12 11:32:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12958296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emperor_Khan/pseuds/Emperor_Khan
Summary: Aduin has been slain, as well as Miraak. As the Emperor lies dead, Skyrim is still engaged in a bloody civil war between the Empire and the rebellious Stormcloaks. Amidst the battle, racial tensions are at an all time high, especially against the Argonians and the Khajiit. While blood runs through the lands, a nord woman with a name not of her own race struggles to find a comfortable life for herself and her two beloved companions, one a crazed jester and the other, the former daughter of a Coldharbour. While trying to find that comfort, the nord woman is also on a quest to find her family's killer, a bloodthirsty bandit with a clouded eye. A story about adventure, misfortune, love, companionship and murder.





	The Woman Born Khajiit

The trees of Falkreath swayed in the cool breeze of Hearthfire as the last remaining leaves detached themselves from the naked branches and lay scattered across the eloping hills. A herd of wild elk walked across the grassy fields, casually devouring the remaining greenery, unaware of a harbinger of death lurking alongside the shadows of the trees. A young nord woman dressed in dark furs squatted down and leaned her back against the trunk of a tree furthest away from the herd, but not far enough to conceal them from her sight. She lifted her daedric bow, a gift from one of the daedric princes themselves and fitted an arrow along the bowstring. She raised her weapon and aimed the ready-to-fire arrow at a large buck that had carelessly wandered away from the closeness of his herd. Just as she was about to pull back the bowstring, a loud shriek from behind caused her to nearly falter and release the arrow, which would surely miss its mark and scare away the elk. A short steel sword was flung inched past the woman’s head and struck the large buck directly in the neck, killing it instantly. Frightened by the shriek and sudden fall of their herd leader, the rest of the elk scattered in different directions until the woman could no longer see a single one left. A man wearing a red jester’s outfit and fur cloak dove past the woman, shrieking so maniacally that it hardly sounded human.  
“Cicero! Oh damn you jester!” The woman shouted, standing up quickly. The crazed jester pranced around her, waving a dwarven dagger in his left hand.  
“Is the Listener angry with Cicero taking her kill?”  
The woman laughed and slung her bow over her shoulder and marched up to the dead elk, followed by Cicero.  
“I think I’m more upset by your vociferous shrieking. Damn nearly split my eardrum.”  
The two companions walked up to the dead elk and grabbed each antler, and proceeded to drag it back home, back to Lakeview Manor. 

“Serana!” The nord woman cried out to her other companion upon walking up to the Manor’s entrance. The door swung open and a woman with short black hair and emerald eyes appeared, holding a reading tome in one hand.  
“Who got the kill this time?” The former coldharbour daughter asked, stepping outside to inspect the fallen beast.  
“Why, Cicero did!” The mad jester grinned madly. Serana sighed and looked at the nord woman with a careless smile.  
“Tsavara, you spoil him too much.”  
Tsavara shrugged her shoulders and took off her cloak.  
“I think this makes us even now,” she turned towards Cicero and handed him her skinning dagger from her belt, “Go take care of the elk and let me know once you’ve finished. I need a nap.”  
The two women entered the Manor, leaving the excited jester to his work. Inside, Tsavara had hung up her cloak on the rack and entered the kitchen, where she grabbed a bottle of Blackbriar mead she had taken off a shelf from the town’s inn and took a sip. She then walked to her bedroom, where Serana had poured water into the wash basin.  
“I decided to buy a few spell tomes from Solaf,” Serana mentioned while Tsavara washed the war paint off of her face. She didn’t like leaving home barefaced.  
“Well, what’d you buy?”  
Serana lifted up the tome she had in her hand.  
“This one’s a healing spell. I took the liberty of learning a few new spells while you went hunting.”  
Tsavara grabbed a drying rag nearby to dry her face and hand and looked at her companion with a surprised look.  
“I thought we had one already? The one I swiped from the court wizard in Solitude.”  
Serana sighed and crossed her arms.  
“You traded it to buy Cicero new boots, remember?”  
The nord scratched her head and gave an awkward grin.  
“Sorry about that.”  
Serana placed the spell tome back on the bookshelf and sat down by the little table at the center of the room.  
“Even you said it yourself the other day, we’re running low on funds.”  
Tsavara threw herself down on her master bed and groaned loudly into her pillow.  
“I know, I know. I’ll go to town tomorrow and-”  
A rustle of paper caused her to raise her head once more and look over at Serana, who held up a piece of parchment with writing sprawled across it.  
“What’s that?”  
“It’s a bounty I picked up. The reward is five thousand gold pieces.” She handed the bounty over to Tsavara, who carefully read the description.  
“I suppose it would be nice to not have to steal and hunt all the time,” she laid her head back down on her pillow and covered her eyes with her arm, still clutching the bounty. Serana took a quill and scribbled something down on the back of the bounty before setting it down on the table.  
“Take your nap and I’ll come wake you later.”  
The former coldharbour left the room and closed the door behind her, leaving the nord woman alone to sleep in peace.

Serana stepped outside where she spotted Cicero in the meat house, who was happily whistling a tune as he skinned the elk. He had his sleeves rolled up and wore an apron that was absolutely splattered with dark blood.  
“Ah, has the listener fallen asleep?” He asked upon seeing Serana. She nodded.  
“She’s still probably worn-out from yesterday’s quest.”  
Cicero drove the skinning knife deep into wooden tabletop and cracked his hands.  
“Taking in quests day and night just to be able to provide for us,” Cicero stared at the elk with a look of ire, “She hasn’t had a night’s rest for nearly three days.” The jester’s face grew soft and almost troubled.  
“Poor Listener,” he muttered. Serana sighed and crossed her arms.  
“Listen, I came out here because I need your help with something.”  
“What is it?”  
“There’s a bounty on this scavenger who’s been wandering the area and ambushing travelers,” replied Serana, leaning against the side of the meat house.  
“What’s the reward?”  
“Five thousand gold pieces.”  
The jester raised his eyebrow.  
“This makes Cicero wonder who this scavenger truly is.”  
“So you’ll come along?”  
“She would not approve of us leaving without her,” responded Cicero.  
“Think of all the times she’s saved us,” explained Serana, “Wouldn’t it be nice just to take over and give her a break?”  
Cicero stared at her silently, deep in thought. He knew she was right; Tsavara had spared both of their lives and accepted them for who they were, shielded them people who wanted them dead and was one of the first people to place trust in them. Cicero placed a hand over his stomach, feeling the scar that ran across his skin. Tsavara, at the prime of the Dark Brotherhood, could have chosen to end the jester’s life, but chose to heal him instead and let him stay at the Dawnstar Sanctuary until she could return. She had allowed him to travel with her, and the two eventually met Serana, whom she protected from Lord Harkon and the Isran. It would seem only fair to take on some of their companion’s work.  
The jester picked up the knife and twirled it in his hand, giving Serana his biggest crazed grin.  
“Let’s go kill someone.”

**Author's Note:**

> I realized that the first chapter starts off with an explosive, "straight to the point" start. Just to get to the fun more quickly. (: Happy reading!


End file.
